The Department of Energy’s top nuclear energy official on Monday expressed regret over the imminent closure of one reactor at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York state.
“It pains me to see Indian Point Unit 2 prematurely shutting down this Thursday,” Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Rita Baranwal wrote on Twitter. “The two units at the plant currently provide 25% of New York City’s power and support more than 1,000 jobs that will all be lost by this time next year when Unit 3 also closes.”
The first of the three reactors at the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan began operations in 1962 and was retired in 1974. Power company Entergy announced in 2017 it would close Unit 2 by April 30 of this year and Unit 3 by April 30, 2021.
Entergy plans to sell the facility to New Jersey energy technology company Holtec International, which would assume all responsibility for decommissioning, site restoration, and spent fuel management. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said last week it expects this year to complete its review of the license transfer application for the plant, which is necessary for the sale to proceed.
Indian Point is the latest in a series of nuclear power plants to go into early retirement, as the industry is challenged by low natural gas prices and other market obstacles.
“We must stop taking clean and reliable power off the grid! We need to let our nation’s fleet run as long as technically possible to keep our grid secure and our air clean,” Baranwal tweeted.
